


Steal Your Heart

by heelnev



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Thieves, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-13 06:12:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11753697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heelnev/pseuds/heelnev
Summary: Random happenings in the lives of Wade, a detective, and Neville, a thief who took a liking to him and decided to tag along with him during his investigations.





	1. Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure why this AU of mine even exists, but I think it's cute.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade is stuck on a case and ends up receiving help from an unlikely source.

Why could Wade never be assigned to a _simple_ case?

Even though he had been busting his ass for years, Wade's rank as a detective was still fairly low. Maneuvering has way through Manhattan to get to the office was no easy feat due to the traffic and groups of pedestrians everywhere he turned, and it was a miracle that he even showed up on time some days. His efforts were constantly being overlooked by his boss, however, who was far too preoccupied with the higher ranked sleuths to pay attention to him. Wade was forced to watch his superiors be assigned the easier cases, the boss claiming that they'd been working 'far too hard' lately and 'deserved' something less complicated. The cases that they  _should_ _have_ been given were handed over to Wade and everyone else who wasn't 'deserving' of a break, lack of qualifications be damned.

This time, a man had been murdered in his room at a fairly prestigious hotel in Miami. At first glance, it looked like the suspect was easy to pinpoint -- an ex-business partner was apparently staying in a room on the same floor. There were rumors that he had been jealous of the victim's success, going on record saying that he felt like  _he_ should have gotten that big promotion, but no one ever thought he would resort to murder. He was 'too nice of a guy' for something like that. Wade, however, wasn't buying such a cheap and overused excuse, and he was ready to bring the suspect into custody and call it a day.

There was more to this case, though, as Wade soon learned once he further looked over the file. Everything was far more complicated than it really needed to be. In addition to the rumors of the suspect's jealousy, there was also some speculation that a few members of the hotel staff were in on the killing. The victim had died due to poison, and it appeared likely that one of the workers had slipped something into his food once he ordered room service. Despite all of that, there was still no concrete evidence, and Wade was required to find irrefutable proof that they were involved.

To do so, he needed to go undercover, which he hadn't had to do in quite some time. Wade reserved a room on the floor directly below where the murder had taken place, pretending to be a delivery person who was staying in town for the next few days. It wasn't the best occupation that he could have chosen, but it was better than nothing.  _Better than being a murderer, that's for damn sure_. Wade thought to himself.

The first day on the job was relatively uneventful. Wade's flight had been delayed due to poor weather conditions and he didn't arrive to the hotel until late in the day. All that he had been able to do was scribble down a few points in his notebook, outlining what he would do on the second day of the investigation. As of that moment, Wade was planning on keeping an eye on anyone involved in delivering room service. If he chose to believe the rumors that a staff member was involved in the poisoning, then the most appropriate choice of action would be to order food and learn just who he was possibly up against.

It was while he was plotting that Wade remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since he had gotten off the plane. It was too late at night for him to be getting room service, so he settled on a snack from a vending machine down the hall. He kept telling himself that he needed to start packing extra, more healthier snacks in his suitcase so that he wouldn't have to rely on junk food all the time, but in the end he couldn't be bothered. Besides, he loved Doritos too much to give them up.

The vending machine was in a small room that served as a sitting area of sorts. Wade remembered passing by it on his way to his room and spotting a few couches around a coffee table. He had made a note to himself to spend some time there once his work the next day was done, compiling whatever new information he had gathered. Hopefully no one would be there and he would be able to work without fear of getting caught.

When he arrived at the machine, Wade inserted the money and punched in the number for his chips, crossing his arms as he waited for it to fall down. Once it did, he crouched to get it, pausing when he saw the slot. How the hell was he supposed to get it open? He couldn’t push it in like he usually could.

“Who the hell designed this?” He wondered aloud, sighing frustratedly. _The genius who built this damn thing should be fired._ He was going to find away to get this bag even if it killed him. Trying a few more times to push the slot in, he gave it a light smack. “Fuck you.”

And someone laughed.

Wade jumped, hitting his head against the machine in a somewhat embarrassing fashion. This just caused the person to laugh again. Once he had composed himself, Wade stood up, turning to face whoever had been watching him. He found a man not too much younger than him sitting on one of the couches, covering his grin with his hand. Wade could see that there was a DS sitting in his lap.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but that was _really_ funny,” the man said, giggling. “The machine tricked me up when I first got here, too.”

All Wade could do was stare at him for a moment. Aside from being embarrassed as hell at the fact that someone had witnessed the whole scene, he was also confused. How had he not noticed that someone was sitting there watching the whole time? “Yeah, it’s… it’s a pain,” he responded, averting his gaze and looking back towards the machine. “Stupid.”

“Here.” The man put the DS down on the couch and stood up. “I’ll get it for you. Watch and learn.” Wade watched as he crouched in front of the slot and pushed it down from the top, pulling out the chips and handing them over with a smile. “See? Easy!”

“You had to pull it _down_?” Wade’s eyes narrowed.

“Yeah! A bunch of machines are like that nowadays.”

“Who decided that?”

“Someone who’s clearly lost in life.” The man made his way back over to the couch, plopping down and putting his feet up on the coffee table. He crossed his arms behind his head and asked, "So, what's your name? I'm Neville."

"Neville?" Wade repeated. If he was being honest, it was a bit of a dorky name, but Wade kept that thought to himself. Now wasn't the time to be rude. "I'm Wade."

"What brings someone like you 'round these parts, Wade? You on vacation or something?"

"Uh, not exactly," Wade replied. Whatever he did, he absolutely could  _not_  give Neville any hints about his real profession. "I'm a delivery person."

"You're a delivery person? Seriously?" Neville looked confused. He appeared to eye Wade up for a moment, his eyebrows quirking up briefly. "That's... interesting."

"Yep. I've got some, uh, packages and things to deliver in this area. I'll be staying here for a little while."

"How much do you have to do if you gotta stay in a hotel for a few days? Seems like a lot."

"Yeah, well... It's part of the job. I don't get a say in it." Wade shrugged. Now that he'd said it out loud, the whole 'delivery person' thing was the worst lie he’d ever come up with, and that was saying something since Wade had had his fair share of bad lies in the past. Neville didn’t even look like he bought it. His eyes were slits and he was pouting, deep in thought. Wade could almost see the gears turning in his head.

Then Neville snorted, a smile returning to his face. "Sounds wild. I'm a professional thief."

"Oh, that's nice--" Wade stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening. "Hold on, you're a  _what_?"

Neville shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal. “I’m a thief. I steal shit. Oh, son of a…” He was looking down at the red light on his DS. He switched the system off. “I need to charge this damn thing.”

Neville had already moved on to the next subject, but Wade still couldn’t believe what he had just been told. This man who he’d met only a few minutes ago just admitted to being a thief as if it were nothing, like it was a regular 9 to 5 job. How was Wade supposed to react to that? Seeing as he technically worked with the police, should he bring this guy in? Or should he let him go? Neville might not even be worth the force’s time.

“What’s with the look?” Neville asked when Wade hadn’t said anything for a little while. “You’re making a weird face at me.”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it,” Wade assured. “You… are a very interesting person, you know that?”

"I do know that, actually." Neville grinned cheekily. "And I'm also a pretty _honest_ person. I don't feel the need to lie about my profession like you do."

Wade froze up, and he swallowed. How did Neville know that he'd been lying?! He knew that his excuse was lacking, but he didn't expect to actually be called out on it. "W-What makes you say that I'm lying, huh?"

"Because you are." Neville had begun to fiddle with the DS stylus, casually slipping it in and out of its slot. "I can tell."

"How?"

"Your badge is sticking out of your pocket. It has been the whole time."

"Are you serious?" Wade looked down. Sure enough, Neville was telling the truth -- his badge had been on display the entire time they were talking. Wade stuffed it back in, nervously shoving his hands in his pockets. "I, uh... Listen, you didn't see that."

"But I _did_!" Neville looked a little cocky.

"Neville, I'm being serious. You cannot tell _anyone_ about who I really am, do you understand me?"

"Wade, don't worry. If there's anything that I'm good at, it's keeping things secret," he said. "How the hell do you think I've been living here for as long as I have?"

"Wait, you live here?" Wade cocked his head to the side. "How long have you been here?"

Neville thought his answer over, looking up towards the ceiling before looking back to Wade and saying, "About a month or so."

"How have you gone this long without being noticed? Does the staff really pay that little attention?"

"You would not believe the amount of unfilled rooms in this place. I just hole up in them and come out at night when no one's around. The patrons all think that I'm a really accomplished businessman since I always tell them that I'm here for a conference. They buy it every time."

"What about when someone reserves a room? What do you do then?"

"Then I move on to the next one. It's not that complicated." Neville stood up. "So, now that I've told you all about what  _I_ do, do you think you can fill me in about what your job  _really_ is? Pleeease?" He clasped his hands together, wearing puppy dog eyes. "If you have a badge, then it must be super interesting!"

"I really shouldn't..." Wade sighed, tapping his foot. Telling Neville the truth would defeat the whole purpose of going undercover. It was true that Neville had told him some pretty incriminating things about himself -- he admitted to a detective that he was a thief! Someone who was that brutally honest couldn't possibly have any malicious intent, could he? Besides, those  _eyes_... Wade was weak for that sort of thing.

"Come on! At least tell me a little bit?"

"Well, if it's only a little..." Wade took a deep breath. "Okay, so you know that murder that took place here not too long ago? The one on the floor above us?"

"I know of it, yes. People were freaking out about it."

"I was sent here to investigate it, but I had to go undercover. The suspect is still staying here, and I need to gather information on him and a few other people who might be involved. There, are you happy now? I told you everything you need to know."

Neville pursed his lips, closing his eyes and crossing his arms as he processed what he'd just been told. "So you need to get some dirt on people, huh? Who else besides the suspect?"

"Some hotel staff members."

"Ooh, scandalous!" Neville rubbed his hands together, suddenly looking excited. "Lemme see the case file! I wanna know some names."

"I can't show you that," Wade said firmly. "That's confidential information."

"How do you expect me to help you if you won't even let me see the file?"

"You-- When did I say I wanted your help?" Wade's mouth fell open. "I never said anything like that!"

"Wade, I'm serious about helping you. This is a pretty big case. I've been staying here for awhile now and know the schedules of pretty much all the employees. If you need a second set of eyes to keep an eye on a suspicious staff member, then I'm your guy. So, what do you say? Are we buddies?"

"I'm not sure if 'buddies' is the right word to describe it..." Wade had to admit that Neville was onto something. There was no way that he would be able to keep an eye on so many people on his own. Even having just on extra person to help him would make things easier. Then again, could he really trust a thief? This definitely wouldn't look very good...

...Then again, his boss never gave a shit about anything that he did, so what would it matter?

" _Fine_..." Wade finally gave in, gesturing for Neville to follow him out into the hall. "Come to my room. You can read the file in there."

"Yes!" Neville pumped his fist into the air, hurrying after Wade. "Believe me, you won't regret this!"

"I'm sure I won't." Wade knew he would.

* * *

A day had passed since Wade and Neville were first introduced. Wade was seated at the writing desk in his room, his prior plans to work in the seating area thwarted by a family of five who insisted on hanging out there at that ungodly hour.  _It's too damn late for these little kids to be running around... Doesn't anyone have a bedtime anymore?_

Wade tapped his pen against the page, propping his head up with his left hand. The second day of investigation bore a little more fruit than the first one, though Wade still didn't have any substantial leads to go on. After ordering room service for breakfast and dinner, all that he had learned was that the hotel had really good buffalo wings.  _Those things should be illegal... But I can't charge someone with murder for food._

He hadn't heard from Neville since last night. If he really only came out when it was dark, then that must mean that he spent the whole day lazing about in his room doing nothing. Why was Wade so worried about giving him the case info if he didn't seem to care too much...

Wade suddenly looked like he'd made a breakthrough, and he hurriedly wrote something down, smiling. He then crossed it out a few seconds later, frustratedly tossing down his pen.  _Those little kids aren't undercover spies, Wade. Get over the seating room thing and focus._

A knock on the door snapped Wade out of his thought, and he slammed the notebook shut. It wouldn't look very good if a staff member showed up and saw him speculating about their involvement in a crime. Then again, what would any employee want with him this late at night? He didn't order anything.

Then Wade remembered that there was only one person who would want to speak with him at that time.  _This should be interesting._

Wade stood up from his chair and went to unbolt the door. Sure enough, Neville was waiting for him on the other side, leaning up against the door frame with one hand and the other one on his hip. "Howdy," Neville greeted him with a wink.

"Alright, kid, what'd you find?" Wade stepped out of the way and allowed him to enter, shutting and re-locking the door. "Assuming that you actually found something and aren't just here to screw with me."

"I found out some top secret info." Neville leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "You ready? I learned... that this hotel..."

"Yes?"

"...has really good quesadillas." Neville pulled away with a cheeky grin.

"Are you kidding me?" Wade rolled his eyes, bumping Neville with his shoulder as he walked back over to the desk and sat down. "You're not taking this seriously at all."

"Oh calm down, would you? It's only a little joke to lighten the mood."

"Look, if you don't have anything relevant to add, then please leave." Wade came across a little harsher than he intended to. Neville didn't really mean any harm... Still, this was important. Now wasn't the time to be screwing around.

Neville sighed, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out some printed documents. "Okaaay..." He said, sauntering to the desk and showing the papers to Wade. "If you don't want me here, then I guess I'll have to leave and bring these with me."

Wade read over the contents of the papers. They were a series of emails, each one of them containing instructions.

Instructions about the murder.

"Holy shit--" Wade reached for the papers, but Neville pulled them away.

"You don't seem to want me here, so I'll just be taking these with me. Haaah..." Neville let out a dramatic sigh and slowly walked towards the door. "Maybe I'll catch up with you later."

"Hold on, kid!" Wade stood up again, grabbing his shoulder. "Where did you find those?"

"A thief never reveals his secrets." Neville winked at him from over his shoulder, but the look on Wade's face forced him to continue. "I, um, snuck behind the front desk when no one was around and printed these out."

"It was... that easy?"

"Mmhmm! You need to stop overthinking things. Sometimes the solution is right in front of you! Just like how I am right now." Neville patted Wade's arm. "But, y'know, you don't seem to want me here so... I'll be taking this back to my room with me."

"Nev, please. Stick around. I need that info."

"'Nev'?" Neville repeated, a smirk spreading across his face. "Is that gonna be my new nickname?"

"I guess." Wade shrugged. He didn't even mean to call him that -- it just slipped out.

"So am I like your little sidekick now? Are we... buddies?"

Wade took in a deep breath. He didn't really have much of a say in the matter, did he? He slowly let the breath out through his nose before responding, "We're... buddies."

"Hell yeah!" Neville grinned broadly and plopped down on Wade's bed, lying on his stomach and saying, "I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship."

"It's certainly the start of _something_ , alright..." How does Wade keep getting himself into these situations?


	2. A Little Payback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade attempts to get back at Neville for always pushing his buttons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick reminder that I Love These Boys as well as this AU.

Wade and Neville's next stop after Miami was Charlotte, North Carolina. They had just solved their last case, the suspects only having been taken into custody a few days ago, and already Wade had been given another hefty assignment. Yet another complicated case being added to his workload made him even more jealous of his co-workers who were 'working' back in the city.  _You're telling me that **no one** back in the office was available to take this job? They couldn't have given me some time off for once? What bullshit._

This time, multiple people had gone missing after visiting a local park. There didn't seem to be any common factors shared among the victims such as their ages, and the kidnappings all appeared to be random. Luckily, the victims had been located not too far away from the park and were relatively unharmed, but there was still a major problem -- none of them were able to give a clear description of what the perpetrator looked like. All that they were able to say was that he was wearing a mask, but that was it. He had no incriminating features that would help to identify him.

The issues regarding their testimonies only made the investigation more difficult to conduct, and Wade wasn't looking forward to figuring this whole mess out. Even though he had help in Neville, he wasn't sure how useful he was going to be in this specific case -- there was nothing for him to steal (which was an interesting complaint coming from Wade, whose whole job is to apprehend criminals). Wade was silently hoping that things weren't nearly as convoluted as they seemed to be and that there was a simple resolution.

And despite all of his gripes, Wade didn't have much of a choice in the matter. This was his job, and he needed to pay the bills somehow, so he made sure that he and Neville were on the next flight to Charlotte. (As annoying as this whole situation was, Wade had to admit that it was entertaining watching Neville go through airport security. There's always a silver lining.)

"Now, allow me to lay out a few ground rules before we go any further," Wade said once he and Neville had received their rental car and were out on the road, currently stopped at a particularly long red light. "Pay attention."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening, don't worry," Neville replied as he fiddled with the radio, clearly not paying any attention at all. He eventually discovered a reggae station and grinned, turning the volume up obnoxiously loud and relaxing back in his seat.

"First thing's first," Wade started, his voice raised so that Neville would be able to hear him over the music. He reached over and turned the volume back down to where it was before, his tone back to normal as he continued, "I'm in control of the radio."

"Come on!" Neville complained and rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be stuck listening to your boring classical stations all the time. At least let me listen to what I like  _sometimes_."

"Of course you can get a turn, but only if you keep the volume at a reasonable level. I can't do any investigating if I can't hear what witnesses are telling me because you destroyed my damn hearing." Wade glared at him. "And my classical stations are  _not_ boring. You just don't have any taste."

"Whatever, gramps."

"Second rule: Don't call me 'gramps'."

"God, am I allowed to have  _any_ fun?"

"Not if it involves making fun of my age. I'm thirty-seven, not sixty. If being in my thirties makes me a grandfather, then you're middle aged." The light finally turned green, and they continued on their way. Wade was keeping a close eye on the buildings that passed by on their right, looking for a very specific one.  _If I followed the directions correctly, it should be coming up soon..._

"When's your birthday, anyway?" Neville asked. "I need to know when the 'you're old' jokes are gonna be the most appropriate."

"Wouldn't you like to know..." Wade replied. "Well, I've got some bad news for you, kiddo. You're gonna be waiting a long time since it already passed this year. It was last week."

"Wait, for real?" Neville's eyes widened. "You already had your birthday?"

"Yeah, it was the tenth."

"And you didn't even tell me?" Neville looked a little offended.

"Nev, we didn't even  _know each other_ last week. How could I have possibly told you?"

Neville didn't reply right away, instead looking out the window and focusing his attention on the passing scenery. Finally, after thinking it over, he said, "Okay, I promise that I'll get you something really good when the holidays roll around."

"You're gonna steal it, aren't you?"

"Damn right!"

"Whatever..." Wade tapped his fingers against the wheel and smiled when he caught sight of the large building that he had been looking for, turning into the parking lot and finding a spot around the middle. "Alright, here we are."

Neville looked confused, his brow scrunching up as he glanced between the building and Wade. "Um... I thought we were supposed to be going to the park? Am I missing something here?"

"Oh, we will. But we have some business to attend to here, first." Wade looked like he was enjoying Neville's bewilderment far too much.

"Did we get another case? Did someone get murdered in a changing room or something?"

"We have a case alright. It's a top secret one."

"Tell me!" Neville leaned in close, practically buzzing with excitement. "Fill me in!"

"It's Operation: Get Neville Some Decent Clothes." Wade looked smug, chuckling as he watched Neville's expression go from happy to almost terrified.

"...Excuse me?" Neville asked, his eyes wide.

"Nev, if you want to tag along with me, that's fine. But we gotta change up your whole outfit -- shirt, pants, shoes, all of that. I can't have you walking around looking like such a stereotypical thief."

Neville looked himself up and down, tugging at the collar of his black shirt. "I mean... Yeah, it's cliché, but it looks good on me! Why should I have to change it?"

"Because I plan on introducing you to my co-workers once we wrap this case up and can get back to New York. I don't want them wondering what I'm doing hanging out with someone dressed like this. I'd rather you look a little more suitable." Wade stepped out of the car, motioning for Neville to follow him out.

Begrudgingly, Neville obliged, pouting as he walked together with Wade towards the entrance of the building. "I don't have to throw away these clothes, do I?"

"When did I say you had to do that?" Wade asked as they stepped through the automatic doors, the cold air from the air conditioning hitting their faces. "You can keep them. All I'm saying is that when we're working, you have to wear a more appropriate getup." Wade paused next to a few clothing racks. "Now, would you rather be like me and go for the dress shirt-blazer combo? Or maybe a polo shirt?"

"That's like asking me if I'd rather get punched in the face or kicked in the groin," Neville responded bluntly.

"Just pick something, would you?"

Neville scowled, walking over to a rack and sifting through some of the clothes that were available. His expression was growing more and more disgusted by the moment as he wondered just how in the  _hell_ anyone could proudly go out wearing things that are so geeky. He was in no way looking forward to having to exchange comfort for professionalism.

Wade, meanwhile, was loving every second of it. Though it was true that Neville needed a new outfit, Wade had partially done this just to screw with him. Even in the short amount of time that they knew each other, Neville had already pushed Wade's buttons numerous times, and it felt nice to finally be able to get back at him for once.

"What do you think of this?" Wade pulled a maroon polo shirt off of the rack, holding it up against Neville. "I think this color would look good on you."

"Is that even my size?" Neville took the shirt from him and checked the tag. "This is gonna be kinda tight on me."

"That's the biggest one that I could find. And besides, you're already wearing clothes that are a full size too small. What does it matter?"

"I guess..."

"Come on." Wade grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to a different part of the store, relishing in his annoyed huffs. "We have more work to do."

* * *

 Wade was pacing back in forth in front of a dressing room door, rubbing his hands together as he waited. He was starting to get a little impatient, watching as people who came in  _after_ them had tried on their clothes and left quicker than Neville had.  _I know he's reluctant, but this is starting to get ridiculous._

"Nev, what are you doing in there?" Wade knocked on the door to the room. "How long do you plan on keeping me waiting?"

"Would you hold on?" Neville snapped back. "I'll be out in a minute. Just gotta button this shirt."

"Alright, alright." Wade backed away from the door and held his arms up in defense, taking a few steps back. "No need to get snippy. Just try and move a little faster, yeah? We still have an investigation to get to."

Neville finally emerged from the room a few minutes later, and Wade had to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape him. Neville looked completely out of his element with his polo tucked into his beige dress pants, each button -- even the top one -- being done. Neville shifted a little uncomfortably, looking back over his shoulder at himself in the full length mirror. "Do you think it looks good?" He asked. "I feel like a dork."

"Are you kidding? You look perfect!" Wade responded, looking him over. He had to admit, Neville looked _good_. "But why do you have the top button done? You can get away with having it unbuttoned, y'know."

"Oh, so first you make me change my whole outfit, and now you're trying to control how I wear it? Goodness..." Neville put a hand on his hip. "I guess this outfit isn't  _too_ bad," he admitted. "I just wish it came in a larger size."

Wade was secretly a little disappointed. There was a small part of him that _really_ liked how tight the shirt was on Neville's torso... "We can look for something more well fitting the next time we go shopping."

"Hold on, you're gonna drag me out for  _another_ shopping trip?" Neville's mouth was agape. "Haven't you made a fool out of me already?"

"Relax, that won't be for awhile. We have more important things to get to first. Oh, and before I forget, I've got one more thing to add to the outfit."

"What's that?" Neville noticed that Wade was holding something in his hands -- a pair of glasses, to be exact. He watched as Wade approached him and slid them on, grimacing. "You know I'm already wearing contacts, right? Are you intentionally trying to make me look even goofier?"

"You don't need my help to look like a goof, Nev. Take a look at yourself!" Wade turned him around and made him look at himself in the mirror, grinning over Neville's shoulder at his reflection. "You look great! Exactly what I look for in a man..."

"I-- What?"

"Or, y'know, an informant!" Wade patted him on the shoulder, grinning a little nervously.

"I suppose it could be worse." Neville pursed his lips, pushing the glasses up on his nose. "Okay, fine. You win. Let's go with this."

"Excellent! Get changed so we can pay." Wade was about to leave Neville alone again when Neville suddenly grabbed his arm, causing him to stop.

"Make no bones about it, Wade. I  _will_ get you back for this," he said with narrow eyes.

"I'm sure you will, Nevs," Wade replied, looking unperturbed. "I'm suuuure you will."

* * *

"So most of the kidnappings took place right around... here." Wade was muttering to himself as he stood in the park, stopping right underneath a streetlamp and taking some notes down. He glanced behind him and spotted Neville quite a ways behind him. "Oi, Nev! Keep up!" Even from where he stood, he heard Neville groan, and he smirked, looking back to his notebook.

When Neville finally caught up to him, he said, "Why are you so fast?"

"Why are _you_ so slow?" Wade retorted without looking up from his book. "Did you find anything out?"

"I spoke with a few people who are regulars at this park," Neville explained. "They all seem just as confused by the situation as we are. They also mentioned something about a creepy groundskeeper, but I'm not so sure. I think they're just pointing fingers at whoever seems even slightly suspicious."

"I have my suspicions about that groundskeeper, too, but you have a point. Everyone's so tense these days. They just want this case to be over and done with -- hell, so do I -- but we have to make sure we bring in the right guy. I'm gonna have to think this over more..." Wade moved over to a bench and sat down, drawing a few arrows down on the page and connecting a few points together.

Neville stood in front of him, crossing his arms behind his back and looking around the park. It was around 5 PM, the sun slowly beginning to set, but that wasn't driving anybody away. There were still plenty of people out and about, which made Neville smile. It was nice to see that not everyone was afraid of that kidnapping jackass and are still trying to live their normal lives.

At the same time, however, Neville was also incredibly bored of just standing around while Wade wrote. "Wade, are you just gonna be doodling in your notebook the rest of the time that we're here?" He asked and took a seat next to him on the bench.

"I'm not doodling, I'm doing serious work." Wade finally looked up from the book. "If you're so bored, then go play on the swing set or something."

"I can't do that! I'm thirty, you know."

"Congratulations. Would you rather I send you to play in something more mature, like the sandbox?"

"No. I think it would look kind of weird for me to be hanging around on a playground at my age."

“You know I used to work with someone who met Justin Bieber when he was in his late twenties?" Wade asked. "He was the only adult man in a sea of preteen girls.”

“That… is certainly something.” Neville’s eyes were wide. “But why are you telling me this?”

“I’m trying to convince you that loitering on a playground is far from being the weirdest thing an adult can do.” Wade looked back down at his notes. “Now either go play or hush up, I have work to do.”

Neville pouted and began to drum out a beat on his thighs with his hands. After a few agonizing minutes of silence, he decided to start poking at Wade, touching his shoulder a few times before taking a chance and going for his side.

“Try that again and I’m throwing you in the lake, I swear to God,” Wade threatened. He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Hey, I've got an idea for what you can do! You’re a thief or something, aren’t you? Go steal something.”

“You’re actually encouraging me to steal shit?” Neville cocked his head to the side. He took a look over his shoulder when he heard the sound of an ice cream truck in the distance. It looked like it was going to stop for a family standing on the sidewalk. “Hmm… I might take you up on that offer.”

“Go get ‘em, kid. Oh, and if you get caught, then I don’t know you.”

“I never get caught, Wade. That’s my thing.” He winked.

Wade let out a breath as he focused back on his notes, leaving Neville to his own devices. He wasn’t sure how he was going to steal something from that truck, but it would be interesting to see if he got away with it.  _'Never get caught'? Huh. I bet today will be the day it finally happens._

Wade took the few moments that he had to himself to examine the points he'd written. Going after the groundskeeper would definitely make sense, but as he told Neville earlier it was important to go after the person who actually did it, not who everyone  _thinks_ did it. Most of the evidence that had been gathered was circumstantial. If they wanted to bring this guy into custody, he was gonna have to do better than that.

He looked up when Neville sat back down next to him on the bench, vanilla cone in hand. “Oh, hey. You steal that from some kid?”

“Nope,” Neville replied as he gave it a lick. “Bought it.”

“With what money? You’re broke. Was that what you stole?”

“Yep. Got it from some dude's wallet. Poor guy had no idea I struck.”

“Of course he didn’t. You’re the expert who never gets caught, after all." Wade was impressed. And there he was so sure that Neville would actually get caught. He was good.  _Almost **too** good..._  "Still, what kind of an idiot doesn’t realize that he’s being robbed?” Wade felt bad for the poor sucker who was too dumb to notice someone stealing his money.

“Mmhmm. Oh,” Neville said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet, dropping it directly onto Wade’s notebook. “Here’s your wallet back.”

For a minute, Wade just stared down at it, his mind not fully grasping what had happened right away. His eyes eventually narrowed into slits, and he slowly turned his head to look at Neville. “You didn’t…”

Neville didn’t say anything. He just shot him a messy smile.

“You son of a bitch…” Wade hastily tucked his wallet away, making a mental note to hide it better next time.  _Sooner or later, I'm gonna get this kid..._


	3. Heists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neville decides to shed a little light on his... "heists".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart quite literally shattered into a million pieces after Nev lost the title last Monday but I will be DAMNED if I let that stop me from writing this. I'm uploading this the day before Summerslam, so we'll see if he wins it back or not.

Wade let out an impatient sigh, resting his arm on the car window and propping his head up while his other hand gripped the steering wheel. No matter what state he went to -- be it back in New York or here in North Carolina -- he always found himself stuck in rush hour traffic. The rain that had been falling all afternoon certainly wasn't helping much either.  _I swear, it's like everyone forgets how to drive whenever it rains..._ Wade grumbled to himself, rolling his eyes when the person in the car behind him started repeatedly honking their horn. "Yes, because that's _totally_ gonna fix everything!" Wade complained. "That's gonna get us out of this mess quicker."

"Ooh, you tell 'em, Wade," Neville chuckled from the passenger's seat, not looking up from his DS. Wade looked over and noticed that he was completely focused on the screen, his tongue poking out from between his lips as he did whatever the hell it was that he was doing.

Wade forced his gaze back on the road and was about to respond when the horn honked again and cut him off, and he leaned his head back against the seat, letting out a deep sigh. "The universe is actively working against me, I swear to God," he said, prompting another laugh from Neville. He knew that it was a bad idea to meet up with the witnesses this late in the day -- when he knew that once they were finished it would be around 5 PM -- and yet he did it anyway. Had he proposed that they do it earlier or even on a day when the weather wasn't so poor, then this whole thing could have been completely avoided.

"Dammit, come on!" Neville huffed after having fallen silent again. "Just stay in the damn ball, you bastard..."

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to catch Lugia."

"Lugia? Nev, are you really playing Pokémon right now?" Wade snorted. "What are you, a child?"

"No, I'm not, but I  _do_ like to have fun, unlike you," Neville snapped back, pursing his lips and raising his eyebrows at Wade for a moment before going back to playing.

"Wow, okay," he scoffed. "I didn't realize that this was such a sensitive topic for you." Wade needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was an angry Neville -- if provoked, Neville might steal his wallet. _Again_.

"You should try playing it one of these days. I think you'd really like it."

"I've never really been much of a video game person. I'm all thumbs with controllers."

"I'm gonna name the next non-legendary that I catch after you. I'll raise you to level one hundred."

"I feel so honored," Wade replied sarcastically, watching as a raindrop slowly slid down from the top of the windshield. What he would give to be back at the hotel at that moment, warm and dry and not sitting in a car surrounded by so many impatient drivers...

"... God, and now I'm out of Ultra Balls!" Neville annoyedly switched the system off and shut it, setting it down on top of Wade's notepad, which was resting in his lap. "I'll try that again later. Lemme tell ya, catching legendary Pokémon is pretty much  _impossible_. Their catch rate is so damn low... How am I supposed to complete the Pokédex when they make it so freaking difficult?"

"I'm gonna pretend like I understood what you just said," Wade replied. His eyes fell on the DS. "Y'know, Nev, I've been meaning to ask you: Where'd you get that thing, anyway?"

"This old thing?" Neville picked it back up, admiring it proudly. "Well, where do you  _think_ I got it from, Wade? Take a guess."

Wade thought for a second before he smirked. "You stole it, didn't you?"

"Correct!" Neville ran a hand over the top of it, his finger tracing along a small crack. "It was easily my most successful heist. You wouldn't believe the hours of entertainment I've gotten out of it. It doesn't owe me a damn thing."

Wade noticed that the traffic was slowly letting up, and he was able to move his car up, but it still seemed like they would be stuck there for a little while longer. Letting up or not, it was still bumper-to-bumper, which meant that the person in the car behind them was sure to start up with the horn again any second now... Wade knew that they needed to pass the time somehow, so he looked to Neville and asked, "Why don't you tell me about it? The heist, I mean. How'd you pull it off?"

"Oh my God, it was  _awesome_ , Wade. Literally no one saw it coming! I caught them all off guard." Neville suddenly grew incredibly animated, like he was thrilled that he was given the chance to talk about his thievery. Wade got the feeling that Neville probably didn't know many people who would listen to him ramble about his illegal activities, and the fact that Neville trusted him enough with this information made him smile.

"Well, go on now!" He encouraged him, motioning with his hands for him to continue. "No need for the suspense. Gimme the details. Where'd it take place?"

"It was in the hotel in Miami. Y'know, the one we met in?" Neville explained. "In addition to being murderous, the people that work there are  _really_ inattentive."

"As seen by the fact that no one noticed you were secretly staying there for months."

"Exactly! No one even batted an eyelash when I swiped this bad boy from the lost-and-found."

Wade's brow furrowed. "Wait, you got it from a lost-and-found?"

"Yeah! I was snooping around one night and found it sitting in there with a game and a charger. They were all dusty, like they'd been there for awhile before I found them. I figured that since no one else seemed interested in giving it the proper care that it deserves that I would take it for myself. None of the staff even knew that I dropped by." Neville grinned at the white DS, his tongue poking out from between his teeth. "So oblivious. I was so proud of myself afterwards."

 _Hold on a minute_. Wade was confused. A lost-and-found is full of items that people lost, and in most cases no one ever drops by and claims them. In the end, it technically didn't matter  _who_ took the DS, be it Neville or the actual owner.  _Is he saying that the best heist he's ever pulled off was picking up a lost item? One that had been left behind for **months** that the owner probably forgot about?_

The silence in the car was broken by the sound of the car horn going off again, and Neville was the one to let out a frustrated noise this time. "God, can't you just honk your horn back at him?" He reached towards the wheel.

"Hey, hey, we're not doing any of that today," Wade swatted his hand away. He drove the car up a little further, what Neville told him still at the forefront of his mind. If that was the biggest thing that Neville had ever done since becoming a thief, then did that mean that he wasn't much of a thief at all? No, there  _had_ to be more to it than that. There must be more that he's not telling him. "So that was how you stole the DS, huh?"

"Mmhmm. And I don't regret a thing."

"So what about some of your other heists? What's the next big thing that you've done?"

"Well..." Neville drew out the 'l' at bit his lip as he thought, clicking his tongue a few times. "There was this one thing I did recently at a store that I thought was pretty sweet."

"Ooh, alright." Wade liked the sound of that -- things could actually be  _stolen_ from a store. "What kind of a store was it? A jewelry store? Did you steal a bunch of diamonds?"

"No, it was a convenience store," Neville responded. "Took a bag of Skittles when the cashier wasn't looking. You wouldn't believe how little attention those people pay, especially when it's after dark."

"I... I see..." Wade knew just from experience how skilled Neville was at stealing. Had it not been for him and his abilities, the case in Miami would have taken much longer to solve since Wade would be working on his own.  _Neville has this talent, but he doesn't even use it properly... He acts like he's a big criminal, when really his biggest crime is just petty theft!_ Once again, Wade found it almost funny how  _he_ of all people was the one griping about Neville not committing any serious offenses.

After what felt like forever, the traffic was finally moving, and Wade hurriedly stepped on the gas pedal before the person in the car behind them exploded out of pure rage. It was once they were driving steadily that Neville asked, "You okay? You've been thinking for awhile."

"I'm fine," Wade replied. "Look, kid, I know I've told you this before, but... You are a  _very_ interesting person, you know that?"

"An interesting person, and an amazing thief." Neville grinned.

"Yeah, sure, you're amazing." Not too long after he said that, Wade heard the sound of the Pokémon game that Neville had been playing start up again. "You're giving it another shot?"

"I don't have a choice!" Neville tapped the stylus against the screen. "If I give up, then I'm just letting Lugia win. I can't have that!"

"Nev, it's only pixels."

"They're more than that! You would know if you actually played."

"Oh my God, you really are a child..." Wade breathed a sigh of relief when he saw their hotel, and he drove into the parking lot.


	4. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wade introduces Neville to his... "favorite" co-workers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He did it!! He won the title back!! Aaaaaaa I'm so glad that he got to be champion for his birthday. ❤

Wade figured that after flying back to New York from North Carolina, he would finally get a chance to rest at home, at least for the remainder of the day. From the airport to the actual flight itself, he was worn out. Whatever he was needed for at work could surely be taken care of the next day once he was more alert and mentally prepared, right?

Wrong. Wade (and by association, Neville) needed to show up for some 'important business', as the email he woke up to the morning of his flight described it.  _After all the shit I've been through today, this had better be worth it._ Wade pouted as he pulled into his usual spot in the parking garage. If he was being called in for some pointless nonsense, then he would be furious. Then again, it's not like anyone important actually cared about his feelings anyway.

"Now, I need you to promise me something," Wade started, reaching into the backseat for his bag and then turning to Neville. "You need to be on your best behavior. I don't care what you see or how nice you think it is -- you  _don't_ take it. Don't start stealing my co-worker's shit."

"Wade, come on." Neville rolled his eyes. "I'm not a child. I have more self-control than you think I do. Besides, we both know that I'm more likely to take _your_ stuff than anyone else's."

"Don't I know that..." Wade suddenly grew very aware if his wallet sitting in his back pocket. He would have to keep an eye on it whenever Neville was around.

They both exited the car, making their way across the garage and towards the building. "Oh, and another thing," Wade said once they stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for his floor. "Maybe keep the fact that you're a thief between us, yeah? Not everyone around here is as lenient as I am. You _know_ people are going to make comments about it, and the last thing that I need around here is a controversy."

"So then what am I supposed to tell them when they ask what I do? Should I lie?"

"Just tell them that you're working with me. That should be enough. Don't even  _hint_ about what you truly are."

"Fine, fine, I won't." Neville crossed his arms, clearly peeved. Wade couldn't even begin to imagine why he was so upset.  _Did he really think he would be able to tell everyone that he's a thief? Seriously?_

When the elevator arrived at the right floor, they stepped out, Wade smiling and nodding in the direction of the secretary before continuing on his way. Neville seemed to falter for a moment in front of her, but he quickly recovered and chased after Wade, grabbing him by the arm and stopping him. "Hey, did you see the way she was looking at you?" He asked quickly. "I think she totally has a thing for you!"

"Who, Layla?" Wade glanced back over his shoulder for a moment at the woman sitting at the desk, who was clearly not paying either of them any attention. "What makes you say that?"

"I dunno, she was kinda... lookin' at you funny."

"Funny how?"

"Just... funny. She had her eye on you." Neville's expression was complicated, difficult to read, and Wade couldn't figure out what he was trying to get at.  _Why would he care if Layla likes me or not? Is he trying to set me up with her or something?_

"I personally think that you're just imagining things, but on the off chance that she actually  _does_ like me, then I feel bad for her since I don't like her back."

"You don't?" He breathed a sigh -- of relief? "Okay, good."

"'Good'?" Wade repeated, furrowing his brow. "Why does this concern you so much? Since when did you give a damn about my love life?"

"I don't, I swear. Just forget about it." Neville started walking again. "Which way to your office?"

"Make a right up ahead." Wade followed him. "It's at the very end of the hall."

Neville paused in front of a door. "This one?" He asked, smiling when Wade nodded and looking at him expectantly as he waited for him to unlock it.

Wade was intrigued by how excited Neville seemed to be, and he pulled the key out of his pocket. "I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. It's really nothing special," he said as he allowed him entry.

It was a fairly typical office, Wade's desk by the far wall with two chairs in front of it. The one window had been left closed while Wade was gone, which would explain why it was obnoxiously stuffy in there. There was also a bulletin board hanging right by the door, the contents catching Neville's eye.

"Oh my God, you actually have one of those bulletin boards that all the detectives have in the crime dramas!" Neville looked as giddy as a child in a candy store, eyes darting around the board and looking at all of the photos that were connected with red string. "That's so  _sick_!"

"I'm glad you like it," Wade snorted, unlocking and opening the window. He sat down in his chair, starting his computer up. "I think it's sort of boring, personally. Then again, I'm always staring at it..."  _You can only stare at something for so long before it loses its luster._

Neville looked at the board for another moment before stepping away and approaching Wade's desk, resting his hands on the back of one of the chairs. "So, what now? Why'd we even come here again?"

"Because I was told that there was something important that I needed to do." Wade opened the email up on the screen and turned it towards Neville, allowing him to look. "See? But for the life of me I can't figure out what it is. I also wanted to introduce you to--" Wade was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat, and he looked over towards the doorway, scowling when he saw who was standing there.

Aries.

"... Can I help you?" Wade asked in as polite of a voice as he could muster, not wanting to come across as rude in front of Neville.

"You can, actually," Austin responded as entered the room, looking as cocky as ever. He caught sight of Neville and looked him up and down. "You can start by telling me who  _this_ is."

Neville stared back at him, clearing his throat and smiling. "Uh... Hi!" He waved. "I'm Neville."

"And what're you doing here, Neville? What business do you have with Barrett? You a client or something?"

"Well, no... You could say I'm more like his assistant."

"He's in the process of becoming my informant," Wade said in an attempt to help Neville with this awkward conversation. "I met him on a recent case and thought he'd be perfect for the job, so I brought him here."

"So that's how you're recruiting people to the force, huh?" Austin asked and looked to Wade with an eyebrow raised, wearing his trademark smirk. "You just pick 'em up wherever you go? No background check or anything?"

"Aries, be honest with me. Does he _look_ like the type of person who would be any trouble?"

Austin looked back to Neville and gave him another once over. "I guess not. Y'know, Neville, I feel bad that this guy took you away from whatever job you had before just so that you could work for him instead. I hope it didn't pay that much."

"I didn't have a job before meeting him, actually," Neville responded.

"Seriously? So how did you make a living?"

"Y'see--" Neville paused when he caught sight of Wade, who was looking at him with an expression that read 'please stop talking, would you?', and he started to stutter. "I-I, well... I-It's actually really complicated."

"He used to work at Starbucks," Wade quickly spoke up. "But he got laid off the day I met him. I offered to help him out, and now here we are. That's all there is to it."

"...Really?" Austin didn't look entirely convinced.

"Really!" Neville said quickly. "That's totally what happened. I'm a little embarrassed about getting fired, though, so that why I got nervous when you asked me about it."

Austin looked between the two of them for a moment, blinking with a confused expression on his face. Wade was impressed with himself for being able to come up with a decent lie like that on the spot, though there was still no guarantee that it was good enough to persuade the higher-ranked Aries.  _He didn't get that promotion last month for nothing_.

Fortunately for the two of them, Austin appeared to accept it, at least for now. "Whatever you say," he said, and he moved on to the next topic as he took a seat in one of the chairs across from Wade. "That's not what I came here to talk to you about. I'm here to give you some good news."

"Good news?" Wade repeated. "Since when were you the bearer of good news?"

"The same day that you became the bearer of  _bad_ news." Austin tossed a case file down on the desk. "Take a look at that."

Wade picked the file up, Neville moving around the desk to take a look at its contents with him. From what they could both see, it looked like another typical murder case, this time in Indianapolis. Wade frowned as he struggled to figure out what it was that Aries was trying to get at.

"So..." Wade started, slowly placing the file back down. "What's the good news? That this poor guy is dead?"

"That's kinda morbid, uh, Aries, was it?" Neville said.

"Call me Austin, And no, no, it's nothing like that." Austin waved his hand at him. "Now that I think about it, the good news is more for me than you. _You_ really don't have anything to gain from us teaming up."

"Now hold on just one minute." Wade's eyes widened. "You're saying that we have to  _team up_ for this case?"

"That's what I just said. Bobby's working on it too. I'm sure that the three -- no, wait,  _four_ \-- of us," he gestured towards Neville, "will work  _wonderfully_ together."

"Who decided this?"

"The boss did. He came up to me and Bobby will you were still in North Carolina and told us about how he felt that all of us would benefit from a little 'teamwork', and who are we to let Hunter down, right?" Austin's smile was sickeningly sweet and clearly forced, and Wade grimaced. Knowing that he would be forced to look at this cocky bastard for however long it took them to solve the case was enough to put him in a bad mood.

"Austin." There was another voice from the doorway, this time coming from Bobby, who had suddenly appeared. "Come on, we need to go."

"Did you find out something big about the case?" Wade asked.

"What? No. The line at the coffee machine is finally gone."

"Oh, I'd better get going." Austin hastily got up from the chair. "I've never seen it without an annoyingly long line. Catch you later, gents." With that, he patted Bobby on the arm, and the two of them made their exit.

Once they were gone, Wade rested his head on his desk, letting out a sigh.  _That_ was the important business that he needed to come in for. He needed to be told in person that he was being assigned to a case with two of the most annoying people he knew.

"Wade?" Neville asked. "This might be a bad time to ask, but..."

"What?" He lifted his head up.

"Those two, Bobby and Austin... Are they... y'know... together?"

Wade raised an eyebrow at him. "What in the world kind of question is that? Were you paying attention to anything that just happened the last few minutes?"

"I was, I swear! I just... noticed that they seemed kinda close. The way Austin looked at Bobby as they were leaving was pretty interesting."

"As far as I know, they're just good friends."

"Ah, I see." Neville nodded, looking almost disappointed. "But... they really  _should_ be together."

"Neville, please don't start shipping my co-workers. I'm  _begging_ you."


	5. Roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neville makes himself at home in Wade's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another reminder that I Love This Ship and will probably never stop writing for it because I love it That Much.

Wade had been living alone ever since he moved out of his parents' home a few years back. Admittedly, there were some times where he felt lonely, wishing that he had someone to hang out and watch TV with whenever he got off of work. He had considered looking into getting a roommate, but ultimately decided against it. He didn't have the time to search for one. And besides, if someone else started living with him then he would lose the few perks that came along with being by himself. There was no one who he had to share the previous night's dinner leftovers with, he didn't have to wait until someone else got out of the bathroom first before he could use it... It was the little things that made being alone worth it.

And then Neville happened. In an instant, Wade's days of quietness at home were abruptly brought to an end.

"Alright, so you're sleeping on the couch going forward," Wade announced as he led Neville down the hallway towards his apartment, halting in front of the door. "It's pretty damn comfy, if I do say so myself. I've fallen asleep on it many times before. You'll be living like a damn king."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Neville looked incredulous, his mouth agape and eyebrows raised. "Why do I have to sleep on the couch?"

"Because I only have one bed, and I'm the one who's gonna be sleeping in it. It's either that or the floor, kiddo." Wade fished around in his pocket for his key and pulled it out, unlocking the door. "Consider yourself lucky that I'm even letting you stay with me and that I'm not making you go to a hotel. Then again, I really _can't_ do that, since you don't have any money."

"My lack of funds hasn't stopped me before. Though maybe that would be a better option since I'm actually sleeping in a _bed_ when I'm in a hotel..." Neville grumbled, crossing his arms.

Wade ignored his gripes and opened the door, flicking on a nearby light switch once they both entered. "There it is, where you'll be spending your nights." Wade gestured towards the leather couch not too far away from the entrance, amused by the overly dramatic sigh that Neville let out in response. "Oh, come on. Don't you think you're being a little over the top? It's really not that big of a deal."

"Over the top?" Neville repeated, walking over to the couch and sitting down on the arm. "You're making me sleep on your couch and then have the audacity to accuse me of being over the top?"

"You bet I do." Wade placed his work bag down on the kitchen counter and headed towards the fridge. He caught sight of the time -- 10 PM. He and Neville ended up staying at the office way later than originally planned (primarily due to Wade trying to negotiate travel arrangements with Bobby and Austin, who seemed to want nothing to do with his opinion) and hadn't eaten anything in hours. "Hey, you like macaroni and cheese?"

"Of course I do. What do you take me for, some kind of fool?" Neville stood up from the couch and went to lean back against the counter.

"Then you're in luck, since I have a lot left over." Wade pulled two containers out from the fridge. "I'll warm them up."

"Wade, have I ever told you how much I appreciate you? And how you deserve to have all sorts of amazing things happen to you? Because you do."

"You flatter me." Wade chuckled as he warmed up one of the dishes.

"You invited me into your home and are providing me with a place to sleep and even feeding me... I don't deserve you."

"Oh, so  _now_ you want to sleep on my couch. All I had to do was offer you food." Wade took the dish out of the microwave and handed it along with a fork over to Neville, going to warm up his own.

Neville quickly took it from him and shoved a forkful into his mouth, looking like he was going to cry. "I hope you find twenty bucks on the ground every day for the rest of your life."

Wade blinked at him, watching him eat for a few more moments before retrieving his dish. "Remind me again why I became your friend."

"Because I  _stole_ your attention away from your case. You couldn't resist me." Neville wore a cheeky grin, reveling in the eye roll that Wade responded with. "So, what's on the agenda tomorrow?"

"I still have to work out a few things with Aries and Roode before we head out to Indianapolis," Wade explained as he picked at his food. "They don't listen to a damn thing that I say, I swear... Those two are far more concerned with each other than anything that I have to say."

"Are they?"

"Absolutely."

"Tell me about what they do."

"First of all, Aries is always staring at Roode at any given moment," Wade started, counting the reasons on one of his hands. "I can understand looking at him when he's talking, but even when  _I'm_ the one trying to talk his attention is always elsewhere. Second, they're always whispering to each other... They think that I'm not listening, but I can tell that they're talking about me. They always get so close--" Wade suddenly stopped talking, and he narrowed his eyes at Neville, who looked far too giddy for his liking. "Neville... Why are you making me tell you all this?"

"Oh, you know... Just because." Neville shrugged.

"I thought I told you earlier to stop shipping them! If you're going to ship anybody, then do it with two people who aren't jackasses." Wade put his now empty dish in the sink.

"How do you feel about ships with only one jackass? If that's the case, I can ship you with Austin instead."

"Ha ha. You're hilarious," Wade replied sarcastically, rubbing at his eyes. "God, I'm exhausted..."

"You go get ready for bed, I'll take care of this." Neville put his own dish in the sink, looking around for a sponge. "It's the least I can do."

"Aren't you just a kind soul." Wade snorted. "Thanks, kid."

Wade's first stop was the bathroom, where he began to brush his teeth. From where he was standing, he was able to hear the sounds of Neville working in the kitchen, hearing the water being turned on and the 'fuck, that's too hot' that followed. It felt... weird hearing someone else hanging around the apartment. Normally, he would have left his dishes in the sink and dealt with the mess in the morning. The fact that there was a person who was willing to lend him a hand was new for him, and not exactly unwelcome.

Once he was finished, he exited into the hallway. "Hey, Nev," he said when he saw that Neville was done, "come over here." He motioned for Neville to follow him into his bedroom. "I gotta give you something."

"What is it?" Neville frowned when he saw Wade's queen size bed, looking like he wanted to make a comment, but he ultimately kept it to himself.

"I wanted to give you something to wear to bed." Wade dug around in his dresser drawers. "I'm not sure if any of my things are going to fit you or not, though."

"When has the clothes you chose for me not fitting properly ever stopped you from making me wear them?" Neville tugged at the collar of his too-tight polo shirt.

"Good point." Wade pulled out an old pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. "These should be around your size, I think. I haven't worn them in awhile." He handed them over. "Oh." Wade looked around and took an extra pillow and blanket off of his bed, giving them to Neville as well. "There you go. I think I have another blanket on the back of the couch if you need it." It was his special napping blanket. He normally never allowed anyone else to sleep with it, but he could make an exception this once.

"Thanks." Neville held the things Wade had given him under his arms. "Hey, can I use your toothbrush?"

"I'd rather you didn't. I should have a spare one in there that you can use."

"Okay." Neville sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be... heading inside now... to your couch."

"Oh, where did that appreciative Nev from earlier go? The one who was overjoyed to sleep on the couch in exchange for food? You'll live."

"I dunno... Don't be surprised if you receive another case file in the morning. I can see it now: 'The Death of Neville: Thieving Legend'. It'll be all over the news."

"Whatever you say. Good night, Nev." Wade gave him a pat on the shoulder and waited until after he'd left before closing the door.

He searched around his room for what he would be wearing -- a t-shirt and shorts -- and quickly got changed, fatigue hitting him more and more with each minute.  _I need to be up early tomorrow..._ He thought as he slid the shirt over his head, catching sight of himself in a wall mirror.  _I can't have these dark circles when I'm trying to talk sense to those other two geeks... Like they need any more of a reason to discredit me._

Wade crawled under the covers and turned his lamp off, shutting his eyes. The sounds of the cars passing from below was usually enough to help lull him to sleep, but something about it wasn't working this time. He found himself tossing and turning, letting out a soft yet frustrated sigh.

There was some factor that was keeping him awake, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe it was the car horn that kept going off in the distance? Those noises were never a problem before. Why would they bother him now? Or maybe it had something to do with this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, like he wasn't truly alone... Like there was someone else in the room with him...

_Wait..._

Wade reached into the darkness to his left, immediately grabbing hold of what felt like a bare shoulder.  _Of course_. "Neville, seriously?" He said.

"Wade, come on!" Neville whined. "At least let me sleep in here with you for one night. You have enough room for me!"

"Oh for the love of God..." He wasn't sure why he expected Neville to listen -- not even just with the couch, but also with the pajamas. Wade could feel that he wasn't wearing the shirt he'd given him and had decided to sleep shirtless, because of fucking _course_ he did.  _It's like he's doing this shit on purpose..._ Wade screwed his eyes shut and bit his lip, shaking his head. " _Fine_ , you can stay. But only for tonight," Wade replied, knowing damn well that this would most likely  _not_ be the last time he and Neville shared a bed.

"Thank you! You rock." Wade heard Neville curl up next to him. "Night, Wade!"

"Yeah, yeah, good night..." Wade settled back down, closing his eyes again. He had enough trouble as is trying to fall asleep on his own, his usual sleeping methods not working like they normally do. Now that there was someone else in his bed with him, his warmth and presence constantly being felt, he figured that sleeping would be even more difficult.

Wade was out in minutes.


End file.
